In Her Element
by ismamora07
Summary: Riley's life revolved around her son, A.B. As a single mother she learned to face challenges head strong, but things mysteriously change for her when she meets and falls in love with Lucas. Soon, her past begins to uncover as Lucas' life is the center of the news. Rucas. AU.
1. It's Time to Sleep My Love

**A/N: Hi, guys. Welcome to my new story.  
The creative process for this story was much slower than any other story I have written. My main focus was completing Where Love Blooms since I ****was writing the first chapters for that story when this fic came to mind. So as time progressed I started investing little pieces of my time into this story, at times I was writing a scene a day and then I had a huge case of writers block and that didn't help me. At some point I started branching out to other writers to take my story, but after a few tries I decided to keep it and stay with it. I'm glad I did because I feel like this story really nails the point on Riley's main focus of being a mother to her son, so that was really personal and warm for me to dive into.**

**The original idea for this fic came to me on December 25th, 2018. I was editing a few chapters of WLB when the thought of Lucas and Riley falling in love after his failed marriage with Maya came to me. Of course, months passed and that's when little plots started taking form and changing the story to what it is now. ****This means a lot for me because with every story I publish it's like another mini revival for me. So thank you guys so much for reading.**

**And lastly, I want to thank Mr. Authentic for helping me with the last portion of the story, his help really came in hand when I needed it most. I feel like the story wouldn't have been released as quick if it wasn't for the help he gave me. **

**I hope you enjoy. **

**In Her Element**

**.:.:.**

Thirty-year-old Riley patiently washed the dishes in her new home. She turned to her five-year-old son, A.B., who was coloring in the living room with a bright smile. She couldn't help but smile too. Everything about the little one made her happy.

"Mommy?" he called out.

"Yes," she responded but maintained focus on the stain in a pan she could not seem to get out. After realizing that her son had not said anything, she turned to look at him. He was no longer coloring, but sitting upright and paying attention to the TV. "Oh no, A.B. turn that off. Close your eyes." She dried her hands on the hand towel beside her and sped towards the living area where he sat.

"Why is the lady on the tv talking about Lucas?"

She ignored his question and looked for the remote. She tried to remember the last place she left it, she knew it had to be somewhere near her because she took it from A.B. before handing him the coloring book.

"Mom?"

She remembered seeing it beside the gray blanket, but that was before she folded it.

"Mommy?"

She then tucked it in between the couch cushion, but that was before he asked her to change the channel.

"Mooommm?"

"What is it? What?" she finally asked him, a little frustrated she was unable to find the remote.

"Why is she missing?" he questioned, his eyes still on the tv. His brown little eyes mesmerized with seeing someone he knew in it. "Why is the girl beside Lucas missing?"

Riley took a deep breath and finally disconnected the tv. She knew that at some point her son would begin to ask questions about the background of the new person in her life and the mystery behind it all.

"Her name is Maya, love. And we don't know why."

"Is she dead?"

He was too young to understand what was happening. His little brain was unable to fathom anything near it. But the five-year-old knew just as much as she did. "I don't know."

**.:.:.:.**

**Two Months Before...**

"Ms. Mendoza said that she needed to talk to you today," A.B. informed his mother as she drove him to school. The curly haired boy took advantage of the little time he was given and played with the trucks he had gotten for Christmas a couple weeks ago. He looked down at his backpack and saw the white packet sticking out of it. "And you also have to sign a few papers."

Riley turned to look back at her son as she came to a red light. "You had all of winter break to tell me and you're bearly telling me now?"

"I forgot," he expressed. "Mommy, the toys?" he brought them to her vision. "I was playing with them 24/7."

Riley turned back around and continued to drive. As soon as they made it to his school, she parked her car and quickly signed all the papers he had given to her. Soon as she slipped them into his backpack, she walked him to his classroom and stopped at the door. He hung his backpack on the hangers inside the classroom and then took a seat at his desk, when his teacher saw her standing there she approached her.

"Aaron told me you needed to speak to me," she began. "Has he been acting out?"

"No, that's passed," she answered. "It's his grades I'm worried about. His reading level, spelling, writing...it's low. If he doesn't improve I'm afraid he's going to have to - "

"...repeat the first grade," Riley finished and tucked her hands into her coat. "I don't understand. He was meeting all his requirements a few months ago."

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two of them. All Riley could do was keep her eyes on her little boy and watch him stare at his homework. He looked dejected and sad and it pained her. She never realized how much help he needed until now.

"I don't mean to impose, but..." Ms. Mendoza licked her lips. "Do you think that the divorce could play a factor in this?"

Riley sighed, she really hoped it didn't. "I'll talk to him."

She blew her son a kiss the second they made eye contact and then walked out. In doing so, she saw a sign on the wall near the door that encouraged parents to help set up for the Tractor Parade happening the next day. It reminded her of last year and why she couldn't take A.B. to it.

As she walked back to her car, she saw a woman in a black sleeveless jumpsuit with long blonde hair. She carried herself in an elegant way like a well-respected woman would. Riley had never her before.

"Excuse me," the woman said to her, taking off her black cat-eye shades. "Can you tell me where to find the principal's office?"

"Errr, it's down the hall to the left. The first door on the right side of the hall is the office. You'll have to ask the secretary for a meeting, but if you already - "

"Thank you," she interrupted her and walked off.

"You're welcome...?" she whispered before walking back to her car.

**.:.:.**

As an English university professor, Riley had to give an hour and a half lecture about different subjects she found important. A few of them being ancient literature and racism in American literature. She taught this to a class with over 50 students and she could barely remember most of their names. Her work went by in a blur and she loved it, but there were times where she felt like she could do more.

When class ended, she prepared her stuff and walked out.

"Professor Matthews," a student called out to her. "You were saying that racism is a learned behavior and one of the factors can be as simple as bedtime stories...?"

"The lack of inclusivity," she informed. "Mainly white protagonists or POC characters always receiving the worst outcome of things. They're portrayed negatively and it teaches children that darker skinned people are inferior to white people. I mean, that's how it was a hundred years ago, everything about white America."

"Okay, thank you so much, Professor Matthews."

"And take notes, there'll be an essay soon on the Clark Doll experiment."

**.:.:.:.**

"How was your day at school, baby?" Riley asked as she drove home. She looked through the mirror in her car to get a look at her son. "Did you have fun?"

"School is boring," he lamely answered. "The only fun part is recess because we go out and play. And I get to see Devyck."

"Did you try really hard in class?" she hoped for a positive response but she never got that. He hated school and she couldn't help but be the reason for it. Before the divorce, he loved everything about it. He was smart and always tried on his homework. He would run to her the second he got home to show her all his awards and stamps but it'd been a while since he'd done that. And she missed it deeply.

"It's just too hard," he complained.

Riley stopped talking for the rest of the drive. She didn't know why she felt the need to cry if the problem could be fixed by helping him, but she was sure that she wouldn't accomplish much. Even though she was the teacher, A.B. always preferred his dad to help him with his work rather than her. Her eyes started to tear even more when she realized that he needed his dad. She hated it, but it was something she couldn't avoid.

They were home now, eating the food Riley had made. The empty seat to her left distracted her for the time being and A.B. seemed to notice. "When can I see him?" he asked, enthusiastically.

Riley gulped and turned to him, "Do you miss him?"

He nodded vigorously.

She ignored the pain in her heart and stabbed her fork into her salad. "Then soon. I promise."

**.:.:.**

A.B.'s room was painted blue the second she found out she was having a boy. She spent days and days with his dad on it because she wanted the perfect message drawn on the wall. As she stared at it, six years later, all Riley could feel was angst. She used to be so happy.

The drawings on the wall were able to raise a smile on her lips. He loved dinosaurs. The more she walked around his room the more she felt like it was time she repainted it, to a color that she and A.B. agreed on.

"Finished," he cheered.

"Did you brush your teeth?" she asked as he slipped into bed.

"And flossed," he added.

"Very good," she complimented. Riley placed the cover over his body and tucked him in. "Are you warm?"

"Mhm," he nodded. "Which story are we reading today?"

"It's Time to Sleep My Love," she showed him the cover. "I've never read it so let's see what it's about." Riley's fingers trailed to the corner of the book and she opened it. She flipped through a few pages before finding the right one. "It's time to sleep, it's time to sleep," she read. "The fishes croon in waters deep. The songbirds sing in trees above, it's time to sleep, my love, my love."

She was getting ready to move onto the next page when she heard a light snore. She set the book down and looked at her son. He was sleeping, just like that. "Wow, that was fast," she said with a breath of relief. "Thank God."

Riley kissed him goodnight and walked out of his room, closing the door behind her.

The house was pretty quiet after A.B. went to sleep. The living room became her second room and she would spend most of her time there watching tv after she made sure all the doors were locked. She had poured herself a glass of wine and sat on their white couch flipping through the last photo album with A.B.'s dad in it.

When she was reaching the last page she saw a photo of them kissing on their wedding night. She wanted to scream in anger and make a mess in the house but she didn't. It angered her so much thinking about what he did. Loudly closing the book shut, Riley walked to her kitchen, dumped the glass of wine in the sink and threw the album away.

**.:.:.:.**

"Thank you again for agreeing to take care of him," Riley told her friend Michael as A.B. ran inside his house. Michael was a dark skin, well-built man with a bright smile. He had known Riley from the school board meetings that they both attended. "I won't be gone for long."

"There's no need to explain," he informed. They were both standing on his porch in the sunny afternoon. Riley was dropping him off at his house. "He's Devyck's best friend and he's a sweet boy."

Riley smiled, "He really likes coming here. And that means a lot since he's been wanting to see his dad. I feel like this is some sort of distraction from him."

"Don't worry, he's in good hands here."

"Thank you," she smiled at him. "I won't be gone for long."

As she was walking away, Michael extended his arm to stop her. He looked down at their hands that were still intact, "You know I was serious about going out to coffee one day. When can you take me up on that offer?"

Riley pulled her hands from him and looked down at her shoes. "I've been really busy, Michael."

"It's okay. Just call me," he winked before going back inside his house.

**.:.:.**

Riley drove to the park where the Tractor Parade would be happening. She parked her car on the parking lot and saw all the flyers on the doors and walls of various restaurants. The Tractor Parade was a family parade in which a dozen tractors, decorated with Christmas lights and decorations, cruise down the street and past the park where the holiday festival was taking place. She loved it the first time she went.

She quickly saw a handful of other parents setting up concessions and other tents where children and people could buy food or have fun. As she got closer to the area, she noticed someone familiar on the other side of the grass.

"Farkle?" she asked. He looked up at her after setting the decorations down on the grass. "Wow, it really is you?" She hugged him.

"Riley? Hey. How are you?" he asked, "Wow, two years."

"I know," she agreed. "It really has been that long since we've seen each other. Look at you, you're taller than me now. Is Smackle here?"

"Yeah. Well, she was. She's running errands right now."

"It's weird, I didn't expect to see you here, but since you're the reason this parade exists in this town, I guess I should've known."

He smiled, "Are you here to help out?"

"Yeah," she answered. "What can I do?"

"You can finish setting up the lights on that tent, you just gotta follow the way they're already hung and you should be good."

Riley nodded. "Okay. It was good seeing you Farkle."

"You too."

She walked over to the tent Farkle was talking about and grabbed the already lit lights, she climbed up the ladder and placed them on the nails. She quickly realized that doing this by herself was going to take a while.

"Looks like you need help," a man said from behind her.

Riley turned around and stared at him. The first thing she noticed was his green eyes and chiseled face, she didn't know what to say and for a second she forgot to speak. She stepped down the ladder and smiled, "Looks like you read my mind."

He wore a white button-up shirt and black trousers which gave her the impression that he had a high paying job. The next thing she noticed was the muscles protruding from his biceps and how good looking he was.

"I'm Lucas," he introduced himself.

"Riley," she smiled.

"Well, Riley, why don't I hang the lights and you hand them to me," he suggested. "That way it'll go by a lot faster."

"That sounds like a good idea," she laughed and grabbed the remaining of the lights that were on the ground. She looked back at him and furrowed her brows, she had never seen him before. "Do you live around here?" she asked.

"Yeah," Lucas answered. "Just up this street actually."

"What brings you here?"

He looked at her and rolled up his sleeves, "I'm one of the investors in this parade. I felt like helping out because I'm making money out of this."

Riley chuckled, "Aren't you lucky? I mean our town does love their traditions. You probably make thousands of dollars on this day alone."

"What about you?" he asked. "What brings you here?"

"Guilt," she answered and he raised a brow. "I couldn't bring my son last year."

"Why? What happened?"

"Ever since he was a kid he's been wanting to see all the tractors pass by, but I never could because of work. Last year, I made a stupid mistake and promised him that he would have the chance to see them, but I was too busy yelling at my husband for something he had done."

Lucas looked at her left hand and saw no ring, "Divorced?"

She nodded and looked at his, "Married?"

"Yes. Four years."

"What's her name?" As Riley handed him the next set of lights to hang, she couldn't help but look at his eyes. They were a perfect set of green and blue and his hair was blonde.

"Maya," he answered. He stepped down the ladder and moved it to the other side of the tent to arrange the lights on it. "If you don't mind me asking, why were you yelling at your husband - ex-husband?"

She smiled, "To sum it up, some men are stupid."

Lucas looked down at her, "Some," he emphasized.

"Yes, that's what I said."

"Well," he got down from the latter and rolled down his sleeves. "Looks like we're done."

"Looks like we are," she agreed. "Thank you so much for helping me."

"Anytime," he took a few steps back because he was getting ready to leave. "Well, Riley, I hope to see you around."

"Yes, me too. Goodbye, Lucas."

**.:.:.:.**

"That was awesome!" her son cheered as she entered their home. "Did you see the trucks? They were huge!"

Seeing him smiling and laughing in excitement made her just as happy. The bear in his arm and the popcorn on the other made her feel like he would be remembering this night for a few more months. "Okay, go get dressed for bed and brush your teeth."

"What?" he questioned. "Why? I don't have school tomorrow. We can stay up all night!"

"No, you need to go to bed."

"But mom - "

"Aaron," she said. "You need to go to bed. Now go change into your pajamas."

He turned around and dropped his head. Riley watched him go and set her things down before walking into his room to find him a book.

"We can skip the bedtime story today," he said once he finished brushing his teeth and was tucked into bed.

"Are you sure?" she asked. This was the first time he had ever said no to this. "There's a new book I found that I haven't read to you."

"I'm sure," he confirmed.

"Okay," she set the book down on his bookshelf and kissed his forehead. "Goodnight, angel."

"Mommy?" he called to her when she was going to turn the lights off. "Can you promise me that I will see dad again?"

Her back was turned to him which made it easier to break down. It broke her heart that he wanted to see him, but Riley was sure that if Aaron knew what his dad did, he would refuse to see him again. And she couldn't afford to have him grow up without a father. "I - I," she took a deep breath and contained herself. "I promise."

**.:.:.**

Mondays were the worst and that was something Riley and A.B. could agree on. She opened her eyes from under the covers and groaned. She was physically and mentally exhausted and she was sure this feeling would last all day. She rolled out of bed stood up, stretching the muscles that left her feeling tired. When she entered A.B.'s room, she raised the covers from his little feet and tickled them. "Baby, get up. It's time to go to school."

He groaned.

"Tell me about it," she raised the covers from his bed and tickled him awake. "Are you up now?"

"Yes," he laughed and sat upright, yawning.

"Good, now go brush your teeth. I'll have your clothes laid out for you to change into."

Riley walked back to her room and stared at herself in the mirror. She hated changing just as much as she hated waking up. Quickly preparing her outfit for the day, Riley raced out her room just as A.B. walked out the bathroom. "Your clothes are on the bed. Hurry, get dressed."

When she reached the kitchen, Riley had options to choose from. She could make toast, a bagel, cereal, or tater tots for A.B. to eat on the way to school. She figured that a bagel was the best choice for her to make.

"Are you ready?" she asked when she saw her son five minutes later. "Yes? Good. Get in the car, I'll be there in a few seconds."

**.:.:.:.**

When it was time to pick him up from school, Riley walked into the class and saw that he was still finishing a worksheet the teacher had given them. She decided to wait with the other parents who were standing just beside the front door. They were whispering to each other and Riley was curious as to why. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Do you know Lucas Friar?" an Indian woman asked her. Her name was Amoli and had the best set of hair Riley had seen. "Well, his wife just left him. She wrote a letter and everything."

Riley was shocked to hear this, especially since she had just met him a few days ago. "That's - that's news. Wow."

"I heard that she's in Singapore right now. Who knows what she could be doing but all I know is that she ran from him."

"What makes you think that?" Ryan, a forty-year-old dad, asked.

"Um, hello, he's like a millionaire. What makes a woman leave a rich man? He's probably a sociopath," Amoli informed. "A good looking sociopath."

Riley listened to the terrible assumptions they were putting out. She couldn't help but want to laugh. "Mom?" Riley heard her son's voice.

"Are you finished?" she cupped her son's cheek and smiled.

"Yeah," he said as he adjusted his backpack. "Can we go now?"

"Yes," she turned to the parents she was speaking to, "I'll see you guys later. Take care."

"Bye," they all said as she walked off. "So, what did you learn today?"

"How to add," he said and handed her a folded piece of paper. "I drew you this."

"Oh, how pretty," she said admiring the piece of work. The drawing included a picture of a castle and what she assumed was her dressed as a princess and him as a knight. "You're very talented."

When Riley raised her eyes from the drawing, she didn't expect to see Lucas walking past the hall. He was staring at his phone and typing something but he stopped when he saw them. Immediately, a wide smile appeared on his lips. "Riley?"

"Lucas? H-hi," she said surprised.

"Hi," they stared at each other for a couple of seconds before he looked at A.B. "This must be your son," he said before crouching down and extended his arm. "My name is Lucas."

"My name is Aaron Bermu - "

"It's A.B.," Riley interrupted him. "That's just his full name."

"It's nice to meet you A.B.," he stood back up to look at Riley in the eyes. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too," she agreed.

"I should get going."

"Okay, yeah. Goodbye."

"Bye," he said before walking off.

Riley furrowed her brows as she watched him do so. He looked happy, considering what had just happened to him. It was almost like he didn't care. Like he was unbothered by Maya leaving him.

**.:.:.**

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for reading the very first chapter of In Her Element. I don't think I've ever written a story as fast and as storytelling like this one before and it means a lot to me because I held onto this story for a few months before releasing it. Just goes to show how much I care about my projects and how they'll see the light of day...eventually. If you have any questions feel free to ask and I will always answer them in the next chapter.**

**Follow, Favorite, and Review**


	2. Ex-husband

**A/N: In Her Element I think has to be one of my favorite stories I've ever written. It is also one of the longest I held onto before ever releasing it. I should also add that this story is gonna be really, really, really short. The shortest I've written as of lately. So stay with me till it's over. It's worth it. **

**Katy Kear: Thank you so much!**

**Guest: okay...**

**Guest#2: Thank you fo saying this story looks very promising, it means so much to me when I get compliments. Hope you enjoy.**

**Mr. Authentic: I'm so happy you got to help me. It meant a lot. **

**Updates come every Friday! **

**In Her Element**

**.:.:.**

Riley stared at the house in front of her through the drivers seat in her car. It was huge. It never seemed to end and she loved the perfect mixture between the plants and the modern style to the house. She loosened her grip on the steeringwheel and noticed how white they had gotten.

She didn't know what she was doing but she felt compelled to be where she was. She debated with herself on whether she should wait a couple more minutes or jump at the opportunity to do what she camr for. After a couple more minutes of thinking, Riley got out of her car, walked to the front door and knocked on it.

When the door opened, she was happy to see the green eyes standing behind it.

"Hi," she heard herself say.

"Riley," he smiled before opening the door for her to walk through it. "Why are you here?"

"Um," she turned around to look at him. "I might be overstepping, but I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I heard about Maya and I just...I," she felt like she had butchered what she wanted to say. "...wanted to make sure you were okay."

His lips curved into a smile. "Did you know her?"

She shook her head no, "I know _you_."

"That very kind of you, Riley."

She stood inside his house and looked around for a second. The inside was beautiful and open, there were plants inside like there were outside and just as fresh. To her left, just beside the coat hanger, was a picture of both Lucas and Maya. He was smiling and so was she. Riley couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"Do you want anything to drink?" he asked as he walked towards the kitchen.

"A water is fine," she followed and took a seat on the chair beside his kitchen island. "Your house if very beautiful."

"Thank you," said Lucas before he handed her the glass of water. "And for the whole checking up on me thing, you don't have to. I like to handle those things on my own."

"Got it." Riley respected his decision in not wanting to talk about his situation with Maya and she understood why. Somethings were private, she knew that. The more she looked at him the more she realized just how okay he was, if he was hurting he was doing a good job of keeping himself together.

"I do want to know one thing," he began, "Is it hard?"

She was confused. "What is?"

"Doing things on your own now? After separating."

She was reminded of all the things she had to do while her divorce was finalized and for her personally, it was hard. Mainly because she was the one that was hurt. "It was for me. My husband he did something that really hurt me. I had to learn how to balance that pain along with finding a new home and fighting for custody over A.B...it was a process." She looked around, "But you, on the other hand, are in good hands. I mean you're young and good looking and you own this," she laughed. "I think you'll do great things."

He smiled and his smile was the type of smile that made a girl feel light. It was the type of smile that could make you smile or brighten up your day.

The more they talked the more Riley realized she liked his company. His society was pleasantar than others and she was glad that they met. When it was time for her to go, Lucas decided to walk her out.

"Thank you for checking up on me, you're actually the first person to do so and I appreciate it."

She felt herself smile, "You don't need to thank me, Lucas, I'll see you around."

**.:.:.:.**

Riley entered the cafe and took a seat in front of her uncle Josh. The last time they had talked, she was crying to him because she had just found out about what A.B.'s father had done. The heartbreak and the sadness was still there and Josh helped her through that, because of it their bond only grew stronger.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Good," he answered. "It's good to see you smiling. How've you been?"

Riley placed her right leg over her left and got comfortable, "I'm finally settled. The divorce has been finalized, I'm stable...financially and I moved into a neighborhood with a good school district for A.B. I'm just learning how to handle everything on my own now again. It's been a while since I've been single and if I'm being honest it feels really good."

"It makes me happy. You were pretty broken last time I saw you."

"That was a while ago," she reminded him. "And I'm over it. I mean what he did...I will always remember it. That's sort of a given. I don't think I could forget, but what I can do is move on. And I am, I mean I'm in the market. I'm looking for someone, don't know when that's gonna happen, but...I'm getting somewhere."

"What you need are a group of girl friends," Josh informed her. "You need friends you can go out with, girls that know people. I don't think you'll find a guy soon if you don't go out to a bar or a club or something."

She smiled, "I don't have any friends. When I was living with A.B.'s father his sisters were my friends, but now I haven't spoken to them. Plus, I'm in a new neighborhood now and the mom's there aren't exactly the type of people I hang out with. So I'm stuck being a mom with no friends."

"Okay," he said nodding as if he had an idea he was planning out in his head, "Why don't I take you out to a bar? Help you find a guy and you help me find a girl? We'll be each others wing man."

She smiled at the idea, "That's great, but I can't anytime soon. When are you back in town?"

"Not for another month."

She internally frowned knowing his idea was no longer possible. "Well, we can always hope."

The waitress passed by and both Josh and Riley placed their orders. She asked for a cup of coffee and scrambled eggs, as soon as she was gone she turned back to Josh. "So, how has traveling been like?"

"Exhausting, but I love my job no matter how tired I get."

Josh was a photographer who specialized specifically in landscapes. Because of this, it meant that he got to travel through all parts of the world and take pictures of beautiful sceneries. It was his favorite thing to do.

"But let's not talk about me. How's A.B.? Is he getting used to the divorce?"

Riley nodded, "Yeah, he's actually been handleling it pretty great, it's just that..." she paused when the waitress stopped to fill her cup with coffee, "Thank you," she said as the woman walked away. "He misses his dad and insists on seeing him. He made me promise him he'll see him and I don't know how to tell him that I don't want A.B. anywhere near him. I would've taken full custody had he not been granted visitation rights."

Josh looked at her for a while. Even though what her ex-husband did was wrong, he believed that what he did should not be taken into consideration when it comes to A.B. and his overall desire to see his dad.

"Not to mention the fact that he's failing right now," she continued, "His teacher said that if he keeps it up he'll be repeating the second grade again. Like how is this happening? I'm a teacher, I used to teach him things all the time. He's a smart kid, but ever since the divorce and the new home he's given up on and he's stopped trying."

"What if all he needs is to see his dad?" he suggested, "I'm not forcing anything on you I just think you should consider it."

**.:.:.**

Riley and A.B. ate quietly. All she could hear was the crashing of the forks and knifes onto the glass plates on the table and the swallowing of his apple juice. She looked at him from the opposite end of the table and noticed how bored he seemed, he was playing with his food, hardly eating it or staring at it. Riley quickly came to the conclusion that he was just sitting there because he was obligated too.

"Is everything okay?" she asked her son.

His gaze didn't meet hers, but he nodded.

Riley was expecting an answer, she thought he would elaborate or give her a reasoning as to why he wasn't hungry or seemed to be happy, but he didn't. "How was school?"

"Shouldn't you know?" he questioned, "You're a teacher."

Riley stopped drinking from her glass of wine and set the drink down. She was stunned by the sass in his response and she didn't like the attitude one bit. "A.B., you shouldn't be talking to me like that I'm your mother."

"I hate school!" he screamed, pushing his plate away from him as if it would poison him. "I don't like waking up early in the morning and I hate Ms. Mendoza! She's a terrible teacher and it's her fault I can't understand what she's teaching us."

"We don't scream at the dinner table," she informed him. Ever since her divorce, Riley had been trying her best to lecture him in a way that wouldn't make him act out or make her seem strict. She didn't like yelling at him because it would make him miss his dad even more and she hated getting him introuble for the same reason. Everything she did wrong, he would find a way to say _Daddy would've known what to do. _"And why don't you ask me for help? Baby, you're turning in your homework late, you're forgeting your assignments at school...you're not as responsible anymore. Starting tomorrow at five in the afternoon we're going to sit down right here and we're going to stay here until you finish your homework."

"What?" he stood on his chair, "I just said I hate school and now you're going to force me to do homework?"

"Sit down, A.B. You're gonna to get hurt."

"Well, guess what? I hate you more than I hate doing homework!" After saying what he had said, he jumped down from the chair and ran to his room, slamming the door shut in the process.

Riley placed a hand on both her temples and massaged them in a circular motion. A.B.'s temper was unpredictable and she felt overwhelmed parenting him alone. She was putting his dish in the sink when the house phone rang, she walked towards the stand and answered the call before placing the phone beside her ear. "Hello."

The voice that answered the call made her feel heavy. She felt her eyes roll and she took a deep sigh. It was her ex-husband.

**.:.:.:.**

Riley was parking her car in front of her home when she felt her phone buzz. She had gotten out of work and picked A.B. up from school and know they were home where they could eat and rest. She turned the ignition off and stepped out the door, answering the call in the process. "Hi, Lucas."

"Hi," she heard him say. She couldn't see it from the other end of the line, but she was sure he was smiling. "Are you doing anything tonight?"

"No not tonight. It's just A.B. and I for the night," she opened his side of the door and helped him out of his car seat. The second his little feet, met the sidewalk, he ran to the door of the house. "I said no running. You can get hurt."

"I just," Lucas began and her attention returned to him, "...I wanted to invite you and A.B. over for tonight. So you two can have dinner at my place."

Riley stopped for a second, she could feel her heart race and for a very unknown reason she thought of the outfit she was going to wear when she showed up. "Yeah, A.B. and I would love too. Do you want us to bring anything?"

"Just yourselves," he answered. "I got everything handled."

"Perfect," she said.

"Great, I'll see you guys here at seven."

"Bye."

After slipping her phone into her pocket, she stared at A.B. who was waiting by the front door. "C'mon, mommy. There's a new episode of Ninja Turtles today. I don't want to miss it."

"Okay, baby, slow down." She inserted the key into the lock and opened the door, he ran inside and straight for the living room.

A few hours later, when it was time to go and they had finished working on A.B.'s homework, she stepped into the hallway and grabbed her purse. She waited for A.B. who had insisted that he did not need help putting on his clothes this time around. "Hey, are you ready?"

"Yes," he answered her before stepping into the kitchen. Seeing him and knowing that he had dressed himself made her feel happy and bubbly. It was the cutest thing he had done recently.

"You look great. Now get your sweater, it's going to be cold tonight."

When he did so and they stepped out, A.B. asked her if he could let his best friend Devyck's dad pick him up tomorrow. She didn't think there was anything wrong about that so she agreed. "Only if he can bring you back too."

"Yes," he cheered. "Devyck's dad always asks about you. He says he likes it when you're around."

Riley smiled as she helped him onto his seat. She had known about Michael's feelings for her, but she didn't say anything. In a way she liked the fact that he did, gave her a little bit of power and made her feel young again.

"Why are you smiling?" he asked.

"I'm not."

She stopped the car when they passed Lucas' front gate. His house looked bigger in the night when all the outside lights were on and the lighted fountain was there to compliment it. She helped A.B. onto his feet before knocking on his door.

It didn't take long before he opened it, but when he did, her heart began to flutter. She smiled at him before his eyes trailed down to A.B.

"What's up, little dude?" he reached into the table beside the door, "I got you something."

"Woah," he extended his little arms to reach for the toy dinosaur. "That's so cool."

The more and more little A.B. examined the toy the more and more he fell in love with it. He turned back to look at Riley and showed her the present, "It's very cool. What do we say when someone does something nice?"

"Thank you."

"Come in," Lucas gestured and the second Riley stepped inside, he placed a hand behind her back. "Here let me take your coat." His soft hands caressed the back of her shoulders for a second and she could feel herself go light. He was warm.

"The food's through here," he said as he walked towards the dining room. "A.B. do you like lasagna?"

"I love lasagna," he informed. "Is that what we're eating?"

Lucas nodded.

They sat down on the main table.

When Riley stared at him and the way he interacted with A.B., she couldn't help but smile. It was meant a lot to her that he was getting along with someone she had liked too.

"Let's eat," Lucas spoke and they did.

The next few weeks consisted of the same thing. Lucas was fond of her company and called her regularly. Not a day went by where he didn't invite her over for dinner at his place. A.B. had already taken a liking into him so he didn't mind having dinner away from home. The cycle continued for weeks. They'd run into each other at grocery stores and bakeries, or wave when they saw each other on the streets. They started talking over the phone everynight at eight. It was a mutual thing. If he didn't call, she would. If she didn't, he would.

Some of Riley's friends, which weren't many, started taking a notice in the new man in her life. She'd grown used to the habit of saying 'no' everytime they asked if she was dating him.

When she would bring A.B. home from school, he'd be happy because it meant he'd see Lucas. Her relationship with him grew extensively and it made her feel much better that A.B. approved of it. She even started putting Lucas' name down on his school documents, letting the school and Lucas know that he could bring A.B. home from school too.

They were so close that Riley felt comfortable with him. She was really happy that he was in her life and she wasn't scared to open up to him. When he was around everything was better for her, she could see and understand certain parts in his and her daily life. He opened up her mind and made her see things she would've never seen before. And she loved that affect he had on her.

"Yeah, I just got to be out of the house by 8:15," Lucas said walking down the stairs in his house. Riley was on the other end of the phone and the smile on his face said it all, he was happy she called him to tell him goodmorning. "Hey, we're still on for dinner though, right?"

"Yes," she answered and the smile on his face only grew.

"Okay, I'll call you when I get home from work. Bye."

He stopped to examine himself in the living room mirror. As he fixed his tie, he couldn't help but smile at the fact that he had gotten close to Riley in the past month. He didn't think their relationship would go so far in much little time. As he fixed his tie, he looked down at the hallway table and saw an envelope he hadn't seen before. It was a letter Maya had written for him before she left. He must've not seen it as least a fifteen times since. He looked at the time on his watch, the time read 8:09. He picked up the letter and walked towards the front door, dropping it in the trash can before walking out.

**.:.:.**

Riley opened the car door for A.B. and he jumped out. She watched as his little feet made contact with the grass and she grabbed his backpack. "Before you go in, I want you to know that I love you very much. And you shouldn't hesitate to call me if you need anything, okay?"

He nodded his little head.

"Can you give me a kiss?" she asked, crouching. And he kissed her.

The guy that walked out the house had a stubble beard, his hair was black and so were his eyes. He had a fair complexion and a nice build and every time he smiled, it would make a girl nervous.

"Daddy!" A.B. yelled before running to him. Riley stood up and stared at the two. When their eyes made contact, he gave her a simple nod and took him inside the apartment.

Riley got in her car, she took a deep breath and gripped the steering wheel. She could feel herself go heavy. She told herself everything would be okay and drove herself to work.

**.:.:.:.**

**A/N: Do you guys wanna guess what happened between Riley and her ex-husband? What do you guys think of Riley and Lucas? **

**Follow, Favorite, and Review **


	3. Their Secret Out in the Open

**A/N: Only two more chapters to go after this one. Let me know what you think and feel free to leave a review. Talk to you next week. **

**Guest: Riley's ex-husband really did a number on her and it's something that will never really leave her mind. It's always gonna worry her. And yeah a lot of Lucaya and Rucas shippers don't like really stories about the other. Hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**In Her Element**

**.:.:.**

Riley looked at the time in her car and sighed. She knew she'd do this to herself. If she kept driving towards the university she'd be there far too early for her liking.

The only reason she was early was because she didn't have to wake A.B. up, she didn't have to go through the alarming process of waiting till he got dressed for school. No kid to look out for meant that her entire schedule would be messed up, hence the reason she was early. Letting him spend the week at his dads was extremely hard for her to do. The thought alone sent chills up and down her back and made her worry. She gave A.B. strict rules to call her at least three times a day, all only a couple of hours apart.

Luckily for her, Lucas' house was on her way to work and she decided to step inside for a cup of coffee.

When she walked inside, the house was quiet. It was so quiet that she could hear the electricity running in the room so she carefully set her coat down and calmly walked towards the kitchen, trying her best not to make noise or wake him. To her surprise, Lucas wasn't sleeping. Instead, he was in the kitchen where she was heading.

"Oh, sorry, I should've knocked," she said staring at a shirtless Lucas. "I just thought you were sleeping."

"No, it's alright. Don't worry. Your coffee's on the counter by the way."

She smiled and grabbed the mug, "Thank you."

As she stood there drinking from her mug, she was watching as Lucas ironed his shirt on the counter. He had a nice body and that was something that couldn't be argued, his smile matched his looks as they were both breathtaking. Watching him do something as simple as iron his clothes was making her extremely nervous and she didn't know what to do with herself.

"For dinner tonight, I was thinking I could make pasta and chicken? I can use a different kind of sauce if you'd like, there's this one that I know how to make and I think you'll like it. Is that okay?"

She nodded and slurped the contents in her mug, "Tonight it's just us two. A.B.'s spending the rest of the week with his father."

"That's not a problem," he began and put his shirt on. "More for us then."

"I kinda like the idea of it just being us two though. Who knows, maybe we can have more fun knowing there's no kid to watch out for?"

He chuckled and agreed, "Maybe. But can I ask why he's spending time with his dad? I thought you were taking care of him."

Riley normally wouldn't have told him. She found her life and that matter rather personal, but with Lucas, she didn't feel the need to hide anything. She felt comfortable with their newly found friendship. "A.B.'s been missing him for a while now. He kept begging me and I finally caved. I'm just a little bummed about it, I mean I thought that he liked spending time with me but ever since the divorce he's been different. I just don't know why I'm feeling guilty for something that wasn't my fault. It wasn't mine, it was his dad's."

She found herself oversharing and she didn't want to weird Lucas out with all the details of her failed marriage. When she realized that Lucas was struggling to tie his tie, she jumped at the opportunity to help him out. "I like parmesan cheese with my pasta," she playfully informed.

He laughed, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Alrighty, all set."

"Perfect," he went to the side of the counter and picked up his jacket, it was clear to Riley that he was on his way out. "I get home at 5:30, but be here around seven. Deal?"

She nodded.

"Okay. See you then," he said before placing a kiss on her cheek and walking out the door.

Riley stood there, frozen in place. She didn't think Lucas realized what he had just done and she didn't exactly know how to react to it. They were friends yes, and simple kisses on the cheek meant nothing, but they weren't close enough to display that kind of affection. Especially when Riley secretly liked him. After a few seconds of thinking hard about it, she regained her composure and walked out his door.

As soon as she stepped out, she noticed a woman with blonde short hair and shades stop the second Riley stepped out of Lucas' home. She thought it was suspicious, especially since the woman's gaze was staring directly at her.

The only thing Riley could bring herself to do was gesture a quick wave and get in her car.

**.:.:.:.**

A few minutes after Riley made it home from work, she hopped in the shower. The warm water never disappointed her. There was something therapeutic about it that she loved and it made her look forward to it. If she could spend an hour or more in the shower without having to worry about the bill, she would.

She thought of it as a safe place merely because she was alone and comfortable. Thinking about stepping out of the shower and getting ready for her dinner date with Lucas, made the butterflies in her stomach even more intense.

When she stepped out, towel wrapped over her body, and one on her head for her hair, she received a message from Josh. Upon opening the message she was greeted with a picture of A.B.

Her response was a simple thank you.

She started getting ready the second she put her phone down. An hour passed and her outfit was on, makeup done, and hair wrapped into a messy cute bun she knew how to make when her hair was damp.

_Ding!_

It was her phone again. But this time it wasn't from Josh or Lucas, it was her exhusband.

**_Santiago_**

**Can A.B. stay with me for an extra day? I'll take him to school Monday and have him at your place by four.**

She read the message not believing he'd ask her something like that. Before even getting passed the first sentence, she formulated a quick and firm response.

**No.**

**.:.:.**

Riley opened the door to Lucas' house and stepped in. The instant sound of classical music and the opening of a wine bottle relaxed her, for a few seconds she was able to forget what her ex had asked of her and focus on her current life.

"Hey, just in time," she heard Lucas say from the dining room.

As she walked towards him, she was able to see the table before her and the food that was on it. "Wow. This looks amazing, you know that?"

"I had to impress a certain someone," he revealed before handing her a glass of wine. "And I didn't forget the parmesan."

"It'd be a shame if you did," Riley laughed before sitting down on the chair beside her. "What's that smell?"

"The pie," Lucas took a seat in front of her. "I tried my hand at baking and I think I did a pretty good job."

"Well, it smells like you did."

After a half-hour of eating, Riley and Lucas were now in his living room listening to music and talking. She found herself staring at him and smiling at his jokes, he could genuinely be funny sometimes and she loved that about him.

"I thought at first he was talking about an assignment I had given him. I had no recollection of doing so and I was confused," Riley said as she looked at Lucas. They were sharing stories on numerous topics and she was currently talking about the time she accidentally failed her student. "The point is, his assignment didn't match the one on the computer and I gave him an F. I almost ruined him, you should've seen the look on his face. It was the best thing ever."

"Didn't think you'd take pleasure in failing your students," Lucas said smiling just as hard as she was.

"I didn't fail him. I fixed his grade the second he came and talked to me."

A few hours passed and Riley and Lucas had both reached a point in which they were both fairly buzzed from all the wine they had been drinking. Their talks from past experiences and work quickly shifted to personal and emotional subjects like their personal lives and goals. This was the moment Riley felt a strong and even more powerful connection.

"I'm really glad I met you, Lucas," she confessed to him. "I think you're a great guy."

"And I'm glad I met you," he said before scooting closer to her. "You haven't realized it yet, but you've made my life easier ever since Maya left. I don't think I will ever not thank you."

"Lucas," she set her drink down and looked into his green eyes. His perfect, nice, light green eyes. "I like you. Like, _like_ you _like_ you. And I have been for a while but I just haven't been able to tell you about it until now because of the liquid courage, but honestly, I don't think I will because I feel like you deserve to know."

"Riley - "

"And I might be rambling now maybe because I do feel a little embarrassed that I had to tell you when I'm drunk and I don't want to stop talking because all I'm going to feel is like I made a fool of myself so please tell me something before - "

"I like you too. You're gorgeous, so fucking beautiful and I've been trying to tell you but haven't been able too. Now that I'm drunk I guess we're both feeling the same embarrassment."

It took a moment such as that for them to finally confess their feelings towards each other. They were sitting inches apart, a small gap between them, staring at each other in the eyes with their secret out in the open.

And that gap closed when they kissed. And then made out and then had sex.

**.:.:.:.**

**Nine** **days** **later**

Riley was running late for work. She had dropped A.B. off at school but had to make a turn when she forgot that she had left her coat at Lucas' place from the night before.

When she ran inside his house, she saw him in the corner drinking coffee. "Sorry, I just had to get my coat."

"No, it's all right. I meant to call you, but I just wanted you to come back and get it," he said before watching her put on her coat. He was still in his pajamas with no shirt since it was his day off.

"I'm in a hurry so I can't stay and talk, but I'll see you tonight for dinner? Yes? Okay," she said before kissing him goodbye.

"Hey, Riley, wait. Why don't you just move in?"

"What?"

"Yeah, I mean you already have some of your stuff here. I live closer to your work, A.B. likes it here, I have the space...just move in."

She turned around to look at him, "I-"

"Just think about it when you're at work, okay? Let me know by the end of tonight?"

She nodded.

He pecked her lips before walking up the stairs.

She spent all of work thinking about it. She couldn't do anything else and she struggled to get through the lesson in class because she was so distracted about planning her life with Lucas in it.

She parked her car in front of her house and opened the door for A.B. to get out. The second he saw the opening, he jumped out and ran inside their home. His daily routine after school ended, was watch TV and eat, soon as his favorite cartoon ended, he played with his toys, did his homework and then ate before brushing his teeth and going to sleep.

Riley couldn't imagine how living in another home would change this. She hadn't even told him that she and Lucas were now dating.

"What do you think about, Lucas?" Riley asked and sat beside him on the couch. She was happy to see that he was in a good mood.

"He's cool," he said, playing with the toy Lucas had bought him. "And he has a big house."

"Would you mind seeing him more often?"

His smile grew almost immediately, "Is he coming over?"

"Why is your smile so big?" this made Riley laugh, she loved seeing A.B. get excited over seeing Lucas.

"I don't know. He's cool."

"That makes me happy to hear. Because he's mommy's boyfriend now. And he's asked us to move in with him."

"Can we?" he begged. "Pretty please?!"

"Okay," she smiled enthusiastically. "Okay, yes. We're going to live with him now."

**.:.:.**

**A/N: Follow, Favorite, and Review **


	4. Leaving Windfield

**A/N: Get ready because things in this chapter start to get interesting. Riley learns somethings and important news is revealed about Maya. Feel free to review. **

**jcarter692: Thank you it means so much you have no idea. Hopefully these next chapters catch your interest too. **

**In Her Element**

**.:.:.**

The weekend after Riley moved in with Lucas, she began unpacking and getting situated. Lucas gave her the luxury and freedom in refurnishing the house any way she wanted. He said it was up to her because the current way it looked was all Maya's doing. And he felt it was more than time he got rid of her things.

She rearranged the furniture completely. Boxed most of his dishes and pans, but kept all the expensive ones just the way she found them. A lot of the things she had felt like home, Lucas' things were modern and rarely used.

After preparing A.B. a sandwich and taking it up to his room while he fixed his things, Riley walked down the stairs and went back to what she was doing. As she walked into the hallway, she stared at all the pictures Lucas had on his walls. They were beautiful and expensive, she was in awe of almost every painting. Almost every.

There was one that caught her in her tracks, it was a picture of Maya. The picture primarily focused on her face, it captured her natural beauty and the color of her eyes. The rest was bare and her hand was covering her breasts while she laid in the bathtub. Even from the opposite end of the hallway Riley could see how beautiful she was. It made her feel insecure for a few seconds.

The longer she stared at it the longer she wanted it gone. In doing so, the frame fell and glass scattered everywhere. She mentally cursed herself before cleaning up the mess. When she touched the picture itself she noticed something on the corner of the page she hadn't seen before. It was a singnature.

_**Photo by: Josh Matthews**_

**.:.:.:.**

"What is this?" she asked Josh after meeting with him the next day. He agreed to meet with her at a cafe not far from where she used to live. The same one they met in a few weeks before. She felt like it was important for her to know since Maya had recently walked out of Lucas' life without a word.

Riley took a picture of the portrait he had made and showed it to him so that he could see what she was talking about. "How do you know Maya?"

"Through work," he answered. "Why exactly do you care? How did you even get a picture of it in the first place?"

"That's not important," she dismissed his question. "When did you take this?"

"Riley, what's with the sudden interest in her?"

"That's not important either - "

"I'm not answering anything until you tell me. Maya's just a client, but clearly this means something to you so what is it?"

She sighed. She hated it when Josh turned things on her, everytime she wanted to get information on something he knew he'd reverse the questions and turn it on her. And she fell for it everytime.

"Hold on," he paused and sat upright. "This picture was taken in her house. What were you doing there? Riley?"

"Her ex-husband, he's my boyfriend now."

"Riley, Jesus Christ. Already? It's been a month since she's left. People are gonna talk- "

"Clearly she didn't love him if she just left him like that. Without a warning, or a note, it didn't mean anything to her so why should it to other people, let alone you?"

"What about Lucas? Did he love her?" Josh questioned.

"He's dating me now. In fact, he even asked me to move in. That's how I found the picture."

"What do you think people are gonna say?"

"That's none of their business. Now answer my question, Josh."

He sighed, "She hired me to photograph her a year ago. That's literally it, I don't know what else you want me to tell you. And if you're wondering where she is, I don't know either."

Riley took her phone back, stood up, pushed in her chair, and then walked out the cafe.

**.:.:.**

"Did you draw this in class?" Riley asked A.B. during dinner later that night. She had found the drawing by mistake after going through his backpack because she had to sign something for him. The drawing was of a night sky with him flying in it, there was also superhero next to him that she did not know who it was. "And who's the suphero?"

"That's Lucas, mommy," he answered.

"Really?" Lucas asked and took the drawing from Riley. "Thanks little dude. Tell you what, why don't we hang this on the top part of the fridge? I'll give you a lift."

"Yay!" he yelled before getting out of his chair, Lucas following right after. When they returned, A.B. had a huge smile plastered all over his lips from the excitement he had just experienced. "By the way, Michael still wants to see you. He said that next time we should have a playdate."

"Michael?" Lucas asked. "Who's Michael?"

"Devyck's dad."

"Really?" Lucas asked, "Why does he want to see Riley?"

"I don't know. He has been for a while. He asks about you a lot."

"Okay, AB, I think you've said enough, why don't you go pick up the mess you left in the hallway? And then get into your pajamas it's almost time to go to bed."

He nodded and removed himself from the table.

"Should I be worried?" Lucas asked. He was surprised to hear that another man had taken interest in her as well while they were dating. He didn't expect it to be the dad of her son's best friend.

"What? Of course not. I've turned him down many times before, even before I met you. I'm just not into him, that's all."

This was enough to calm Lucas's unease. He pecked her lips, "I noticed that you finished moving in. I think the house looks better this way. Plus, I have good news."

"What is it?"

He brought out a piece of paper and handed it to her, "I put sixty thousand dollars on a bank account for A.B. so that he has money for college. I gave you access to it."

"Lucas, that's a lot of money. I don't know what to say."

"What about 'thank you'?" he suggested and she saw that she wasn't completely amazed with the idea like he thought she would. "Look, I know it's going to take some time for you to get used to me handling things for not just A.B., but for you too. I just want you to know that living with me means we're a family. And family's take care of each other."

Riley smiled. "I just..." she took a deep breath and stared blankly at him, "It's been a while since somebody has helped me take care of him. I'm happy I have someone like you."

There was knock on the door and Lucas walked towards it. When he opened it, he brought the door closer to him in a way that made Riley think he didn't want her to see who was behind it.

They talked for a few mintues, before he turned around to look at Riley. "It's work. I'll be home in a few minutes, okay?"

She nodded, but was suspicious of it. "Okay, yeah, I'll see you then."

**.:.:.:.**

Two hours later, when Riley was drifting off to sleep, she heard the door to her room open. As soon as she turned to it, she saw Lucas standing by the door. "Sorry, I didn't want to wake you."

"It's all right, where exactly did you go?"

He took a deep breath and slid into bed with her, "I lied to you earlier today. I didn't go back to work I went down to the station and I spoke with the police. They asked me a couple questions."

"What? Why-why would they take you down there?"

He held her hand, "A video of Maya was released. It was posted to YouTube and in the video she looked like she was in a freezer."

Riley couldn't move, "Why would she be in there?"

Lucas was silent for a few seconds. She kept staring at him, looking for an answer in his eyes, to understand the complete confusion he was in. "Maybe she didn't leave," he suggested. "Maybe she was kidnapped."

**.:.:.**

"A.B., c'mon put your shoes on you don't want to be late for school," Riley said to him the following morning. She was making him breakfast in the kitchen while he lazily and very slowly tied his shoes.

"I'm tired," he complained and rested his head on the table.

"I know baby, so am I, but we gotta get moving. Here are your pancakes. You're gonna have to eat them on the go because we're running late."

A few minutes after Riley placed A.B.'s pancakes on a napkin and tied his shoes, she noticed she had left the TV on. As she went to turn it off she saw that the news outlet was covering Maya's story and that mysterious YouTube video. She knew she couldn't stay to watch it because A.B. was about to enter the room so she turned it off. Before she could, a picture of Lucas came out with the words _Killer? _written under it.

"Mom, are you ready?"

"Yeah," she said, but stared blankly at the TV. The word killer was still running through her mind, but she was unable to move because she was still in shock. Quickly, she turned it off upon realizing that A.B. could easily see and hear what the news outlet was saying. "Yes. Let's go, c'mon get in the car."

She looked around the house to make sure all the lights were turned off, but as soon as she was about to close the door she saw a letter with Lucas' name on it sitting in the trash can. She knew it wasn't any of her business to be going through his stuff, but this time around she was too tempted to avoid it. She picked up the letter the second she saw who it was written by.

The letter was written by Maya to Lucas.

"Aren't we leaving, mommy?"

"Yeah, sorry," she said before slipping the letter into her purse.

**.:.:.**

_Killer?! _

_Killer?!_

_Killer?!_

The words rang through Riley's head. It consumed everything she was thinking about and all she could do was stand there in front of her students and freeze. She looked into the lesson she had planned and found herself unable to teach it properly.

"I -" she stammered. "I'm sorry, something came up. Can we resume class Friday morning?"

It didn't take long for her students to quickly agree and get up from their seats. In a few minutes the class was empty and Riley brought out her computer to look at all the reports and articles that were released that morning. A handful of the stories were calling Lucas a kidnapper and responsible for the disappearance of Maya Hart.

She was shocked. She could feel her heart in her throat and her hands shake uncontrollably. "Could he be?" She questioned.

She tried to convince herself many times that there was no logical or possible explanation for him to be accused of what she did. She didn't and she refused to believe it.

But a part of her felt like he did.

She didn't know where he was the day Maya left, he didn't seem to be bothered by it one bit, she found a letter Maya wrote to him in the trash and everything to her felt like he didn't care for her.

She was reminded of the letter and she reached into her purse to bring it out.

_Dear Lucas, _

_I think it's time this happened. We've known we shared our differences in this relationship ever since we got married. There were signs we failed to pick up on and we were young, blinded by the idea that were were in love, but we weren't in love. Not one bit. _

_I left the ring in your drawer along with the other documents and the contract for the new art room we planned on building for the school. I talked to the school's principal earlier today and he approved. Tomorrow morning you should meet with him to discuss the final negotiations. _

_I don't want you to know where it is I'm going. It's better that way and you might not know it yet, but the least we know about each other the better. _

_I'm sorry I couldn't tell to you this to your face, but know that whatever it is, I want you to be happy. _

_Even if you hate me after this. _

_\- Maya _

She closed the letter and sighed.

Maya wanted to leave him all along. In fact, she had left him, but where was she now? How did she end up trapped in a freezer?

She thought about her son A.B. and his future. Riley always wanted what was best for him and she thought that a new father figure was help do the trick, but the more and more she thought about the case Lucas was tied to the more and more she felt like could make things worse.

And that was was she made up her mind.

She had to leave Lucas.

**.:.:.:.**

"Why did you pick me up from school early?" A.B. asked her as they made their way inside their home. "Are we going somewhere?"

"Yes, honey I need you to run into your room and find a bag. Then I want you to lay out your clothes on your bed, nice and neatly, but I need you to do this quick. Can you do this for me?"

He nodded, "Okay."

Riley knew that he was confused, but it didn't stop him from listening. As he walked up the stairs, she walked into her room and packed her bag as well. She rushed through everything really quickly and hoped Lucas wouldn't get home soon. She ran all around the room, in and out of closets, bathrooms, drawers, she had gathered more clothes than she planned but she was sure she was going to need it all.

"A.B. are you ready?"

"Yes," he said from his room that was just down the hall. "I made a mess though."

"It's okay," she dimissed and packed his bag. "Take this to the car and put your seat belt on. I'll be there in just a minute."

"Where are we going?"

Riley knew she couldn't tell him the truth. He was too young. "Ah," she thought for a second. "We're going on a road trip."

"Where's Lucas? Is he coming?"

"He's - actually, he's very sick. I'm sorry, A.B. It might be a couple of days before we see him."

**.:.:.**

_Leaving Windfield. _

She stared at the sign. She was approaching it very quickly and she knew that her time was running out. Even though she had packed her bags and left Lucas, she hadn't made her mind up if she was actually following through with it.

She turned back to A.B. who had taken a nap during their twenty minute drive out of town. She knew that her decision was going to be changing his life too.

Lucas had told her the night before that he had put sixty thousand dollars in a bank account for A.B. and gave Riley access to it. She had just left the bank with the money transferred into a secret account she made, one that Lucas did not know about it.

It felt wrong to her. That she would be using the money he gave A.B. for his college tuition to escape her relationship with Lucas.

"No," she said as she realized she was feeling guilty and having second thoughts. She wanted to turn the car around and drive back but the thought of Maya kept her going. The thought of Lucas taking Maya kept her going.

She pulled off to the side of the road and thought. She thought about Lucas and everything that had happened between them, but something was different this time.

The thought and the question she had about Lucas actually being capable of hurting someone came to her and she was convinced that he would never do that. Lucas never gave her that vibe and from her past experience she had become an expert in knowing when men were lying and she was certain Lucas was telling the truth.

She took a deep breath, breathing in and then out.

And just like that. She found herself making a U-turn and driving back into town. More specifically, her home with Lucas.

**.:.:.:.**

"AB run upstairs and hide the backpack in the closet I'll be by in a minute to - Lucas?"

He was sitting in the kitchen drinking a glass of liquor, his facial expression was very stern and it was clear to Riley that he looked suspicious. "Where were you?" he questioned.

She set her purse down and looked at him, "I was just... I was -"

He leaned back on his chair and finished his drink. It was clear that his eyes were red and puffy. "To busy leaving me?"

She didn't know what to say, "I-"

"I don't get it," he was frustrated, it was obvious to her that he was and this had been the first time she'd seen him like this. "I tell you I care about you Riley and that I want to take care of A.B. as if he was my own. And you steal sixty thousand dollars from me and leave? No note, no call, no text? No reason whatsoever? Why?"

"I'm sorry," she pleaded. "Lucas, I know how it sounds and I feel so bad. I just - I panicked, I let all these tabloids and rumors get to me and I left. I can't express how sorry I am."

"I thought you trusted me."

"I did. I mean I do. I do trust you and I feel like an idiot right now."

"Maya left, Riley," he deadpanned. "That's all there is to it. She wasn't happy neither was I and she walked out. She's probably starting a new life right now in California or Michigan if she wants to keep a low profile."

"But the video?" Riley reminded.

"She was complicated, but she was coordinated. Riley, if I'm being one-hundred percent honest with you, I don't believe Maya's in any kind of trouble."

She furrowed her brows and took a seat beside him, "What are you trying to say?"

"That she's smart, and she's plotting something."

Riley was confused with what Lucas had said. For a minutes silence, she complicated her earlier mistake and felt guilty for it. She couldn't believe she trusted unreliable news over her boyfriend's word.

"I need you to take my hands and look me in the eyes," Lucas told her and she did listened. "Do you believe for one second that I have anything to do with hurting Maya?"

In a heartbeat, she answered. "No. I don't. And I'm sorry that I did."

As Riley went to sleep that night, all she was able to takeaway from their talk were Lucas' words.

_She was complicated, but she was coordinated._

**.:.:.**

**A/N: _ooohhhh,_ now we jump into the mystery. Learn how everything wraps up in the next chapter. Thank you guys again for being in this monthly ride it means so much to me and I will see you guys in the next. **

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	5. We Owe it to AB

**A/N: Next chapter will be the last. I want to thank you guys for reading and showing me that you're interested. It really does mean a lot. **

**I wanna give a huge shoutout and thank you to Mr. Authentic for really helping with this chapter specifically. He helped me meet the deadline I had for this story and I can finally take a breath of relief for not having to carry all the work on my back.**

**Guest: Josh is in this story for a reason. I would've never included him if there wasn't a reason, even if it's a minor one. Part of the reason I really wanted to write this story was because I wanted their relationship to be quick, I wanted them to move into things too fast and abrupt. I liked that idea and I stuck with in the story. And Maya and Lucas were a complicated couple. You'll know what I mean in the next chapter. Thank you for reviewing. **

**In Her Element **

**.:.:.**

Riley parked her car in front of Santiago's house. As she looked from her car window, she could see that he was standing outside. He was waving at her and she could barely bring herself to smile back.

As she got off her car and stepped onto his yard, Riley could hear A.B. laughing from inside his house. He always loved spending time with his dad and it hurt her in every way imaginable. Going back there felt lonely to her and knowing it was her sons favorite place to be, hurt her.

"Can you bring him out with his stuff? I'm taking him home," she informed him.

"Oh, c'mon. He's having fun in there. Just give the kid an extra hour, you're welcome to stay - "

"Santiago, we need to go home. Now. I can't stay."

He could only look at her for a few more seconds before looking at the inside of his home. His door was open so that he could get a clear view of his son, "I know that I messed up, Riley. And that because of it, I also can't see him whenever I want. But the second most important relationship I have in my life is you because you're the mother of my son. Don't you think we owe it to him to be on good terms?"

She looked at him and sighed, "Don't you think you owed it to him to be a decent husband to his mother? And you couldn't even do that."

"I told you I messed up, and I've done things I'm not proud of, but that's the past. People change."

"You're so full of it, you know that?"

"Mommy?" A.B. asked when he saw her. He was standing by the front door wondering why his dad hadn't walked in. That was when he heard his mom talking and his dad too. "When did you get here?"

"Just a few seconds ago, baby. C'mon, get your stuff it's time to go."

He did as told and grabbed his backpack and his homework. Just as he stepped out, he looked at his dad and hugged him. "I'll see you later, dad."

Santiago crouched so that they could meet eye to eye, "Hey, why don't you and your mom stay for a while longer? Just an hour more, I'm sure that will be okay with her."

A.B.'s hopeful eyes met hers, "Can we? Pretty please? Just an hour more and then we can go."

Riley looked at him. The excitement in his eyes and the energy that radiated off of him was impossible for her to break. She didn't want to be the one that disappointed him. "Okay, but only one hour."

**.:.:.:.**

"Here," Santiago said as he placed a glass of cranberry juice in front of her and sat down. "Your favorite."

Riley took the glass and drank out of it before looking at A.B., he was in the living room watching his favorite cartoons, the biggest of smiles plastered on his lips. As soon as the episode was done, she would be taking him home.

"I haven't stopped buying it. The juice, of course. I always have it here in case you stop by, but you never do."

"Can you imagine why?" she questioned him. Riley turned to look at him, this time she paid more attention to the way he looked. He was letting his beard grow out, he cut most of the hair on his head and now had a buzz cut, and he looked like he had been working out. The gym bag by the door had also proved this.

"Can we talk about this? Please?"

"Is that why you've been wanting to see A.B. so bad? So that you can apologize for what you did all? Let's face it, you're sorry because you got caught and you're even sorrier that your relationship with her didn't last."

"I messed up, I know that - "

"That's like the third time you've said that today," she interrupted him.

"I regret what I did and you need to know that. I just want us to be good again. For my sake and A.B.'s."

She scoffed, "I'm gonna say this again because your attention span isn't very long... you got me to talk to you because you used my son against me, I'm not here because I want to be or because I'm interested in hearing what you have to say."

He hung his head, accepting the fact that it was gonna be really hard for her to forgive him. "September 30th, 2011."

"What?" she questioned. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"That's the day we met. The day I asked you for directions - "

"Stop. Now, that you brought it up I realized how stupid I was for not thinking of it sooner. You were flirting with me. Then you froze when you're girlfriend approached us, you thought you got caught so you created this big lie that I was the one that needed directions - "

"February 14th, 2014, we got married - "

"This isn't helping you. What? You think that remembering our anniversaries are gonna help me forgive you? Did you practice memorizing these dates before you called me over?"

"October 28th, 2014. A.B. was born - "

"Don't!" she raised her voice at him. "Do not use his name. You don't get to pin our son against me to get me to forgive you. I bit my tongue before, but not anymore."

He sighed, "We owe it to him - "

"I owe it to him to let him see you because you're his dad, I don't owe you anything. As far as I'm concerned, a relationship with me is what _you _want."

He nodded, "Is that so bad?"

"What you did to me was unforgivable," she deadpanned. Suddenly she could vividly feel the pain and fear she was in a year ago. She was so broken and hurt that she was going to confide in him until she found out what he had done. "I can't ever forgive you for making me go through that. All of it."

"I know, I know," he said. "I felt terrible. But what about the good times we went through. What about when A.B. got sick? Remember when he was just a year old and I stayed by your side because we were a team. Riley, I am not just the person who betrayed you. I'm still the guy you fell in love with, remember? You're forgetting all the good we've been through, all the good memories not just the bad ones. I loved you, yes, and I hurt you, but that was because I was being an idiot. That one mistake does not define the person I am today."

She looked at him. One of the hardest things she had to go through as a mother was when A.B. got sick and she didn't know what to do. It was the first time she felt like she wasn't made to be a mother.

**_Four years ago..._**

_"You did the right thing by bringing him in," the doctor told Riley. Santiago was by her side, rubbing his hands on her shoulders to ease her stress and fear. "We're gonna take him in for an x-ray, a high fever and wheezing at his age may not be a good sign. We're looking at maybe pneumonia, but we will need to run some tests on his blood." _

_Riley kissed little A.B.'s hand as they took him in for testing. She didn't know what to do especially since she had ignored his previous symptoms and took them as a simple cold. She took a seat beside Santiago and leaned her head against his shoulder, searching for comfort in his presence. _

_"He's gonna be alright," he said with complete confidence. _

_"How do you know that?"_

_The truth was, he didn't. All he knew was that there would be nothing wrong with their child, the universe wouldn't be too cruel on them. "Just a feeling." _

_"I can't believe I waited until things got worse," she revealed, disappointed in herself. "I knew he was sick, but I didn't do anything to help him. What if he was in pain this entire time and I was just to stupid to realize it." _

_"Hey," he grabbed her hand. "Riley, this isn't your fault. You had the right intentions all along you can't beat yourself up over something you didn't know about." _

_"It's my job to know, I'm his mother. Who am I if I can't protect him from getting hurt, who am I if I can't tell when he's in pain?" He wiped the tears on her eyea and kissed her forehead. _

_"Stop beating yourself up over this. Whatever it is, we're gonna figure it out, okay? Together." _

_"Together," she confirmed, regaining her control and sniffling. _

_An hour later, the doctor reported back to them. He wore a white coat and held a document in his hand that Riley assumed were the diagnositics of the exams they ran on A.B. "He's gonna be okay," the doctor confirmed. "We just want to keep him overnight to monitor his breathing. He should be ready to go tomorrow morning." _

_"Thank you doctor," Santiago said before turning to his wife Riley who was crying. _

_She wasn't crying because she was sad about the news, she was crying tears of relief because she didn't make things worse for A.B. and she was just overthinking her mistakes. "Can we see him?" _

_"Of course. Right this way." _

"All I'm asking for is a second chance. To make it up to you. I messed up, but let me prove it to you that I will never mess up this time and I will be the best father to A.B."

She nodded, finally accepting his offer. "Don't make me regret this."

The time to take A.B. home came. Riley was placing his backpack on his and grabbing his sweater. She watched as he hugged his dad and walked out the door when Santiago was about to give her a hug she stepped back. "What are you doing?"

"Well, I - I just thought that - "

"That because we talked about it and you made me give you a second chance that we were suddenly friends again?" she questioned. He was silent. "You tried to take him from me. It's gonna take more than just a talk to get me to trust you again."

**.:.:.:.**

It took a nice dinner with her family to make Riley forget about her reconciliation with Santiago. She was willing to give him another chance, but they were nowhere near hugging nor trust each other. She had made it very clear to him.

As she watched Lucas and A.B. interact, she felt happy and peaceful. Seeing them talk felt natural to her, she was comfortable with the idea of her boyfriend and son getting along.

"I'm serious, name any place in the world and we will go. I'm not kidding."

"You're being ridiculous," she said to him as she cleaned the table. "Lucas, don't you think we should wait till A.B. and I are fully moved in?"

"What are you talking about?" Lucas asked, "You guys are moved in, you live here don't you?"

"I'm talking about the paperwork that comes with moving out of a house, I'm still talking to the realtors and it's all very complicated. Look, we should wait it out. And then in a couple of months when everything is ready, we should travel."

"Riley, c'mon - "

"I want to go to the North Pole," A.B. interrupted. "Or Atlantis."

Riley and Lucas smiled because he answered very surely of himself as if people had been there.

"Not that we're going or anything, but I'd say Italy if we go in the summer, or Monte Carlo in the spring."

Lucas smiled, "That sounds perfect."

For the first time in a while, Riley was able to sit back and accept the fact that she was no longer the only one looking after A.B. She could already envision it, how different her life would be now that he had a father figure. Lucas seemed to care about the new role in his life, the responsibility of looking after a little guy. It made her happy to know that she had consistent help with Lucas.

"So, is this what it's like being a parent?" Lucas asked Riley while helping her clean the dishes.

"He's calm and peaceful right now, but wait till he gets even more comfortable with you. He'll get difficult just let him grow on you. But if I'm being honest, at least you're coming into his life when you don't need to change his diapers and worry about him crying all the time and losing sleep."

He chuckled, "Can I ask you something serious?"

"What is it?" Riley's curiosity grew and she set the dishes down.

"Do you think that we're gonna last? That I'll be in A.B.'s life?" Lucas asked bluntly. He knew he needed to ask now that she and Santiago were planning on getting past his mistakes.

"If I'm honest, Lucas, I do see a future with the three of us together. I remember I told A.B once that, love doesn't always last forever. I was right on what Santiago put me through. From the times he would come home late, to the cheating and going through a divorce, he made me defensive about love and who I allowed not just into my life, but A.B's. But you Lucas, I don't know how, but you accepted him as your own even though he's not." She grabbed his hands and pulled him close, this had been the first time she opened up to him about her past with Santiago.

"After some time, I felt like it was just gonna be me and A.B. I had accepted my fate, but that changed when you came along. You've stepped up when I needed you. Santiago stepped up only when he wanted to. I hope that one day, A.B will recognize you as his dad because a dad is supposed to be there for his kid Santiago was selfish when it came to sex and alcohol. A real dad is selfless and prioritizes his family over anything. You may be busy with work and despite the bashing you took from the media, you can still somehow remain the person you are. A.B looks up to you Lucas, I know you see that."

He kissed her hands, "You're an amazing woman, Riley."

**.:.:.**

**_One Year Ago..._**

_Riley stood in the laundry room folding clothes late at night. She was beyond tired and felt as if she closed her eyes she'd collapse. The reason she was cleaning the house late at night was because she had spent the majority of her time grading her student's papers. She told herself she'd get them back to them the next day, but she was too exhausted to function and she hoped she wouldn't forget._

_"Hey, baby," she heard the whisper from the back of her ear and a pair of hands wrap around her waist._

_She quickly turned around to see who it had been, but she took a breath of relief when she saw that it was her husband Santiago. She looked at the clock on the wall and it showed 2:37 am. "You scared me."_

_"Sorry," he said before pecking her cheek. "Hey, is A.B. asleep?"_

_She stared at him, very confused. Santiago hadn't been home for the past two days and she couldn't believe he dared to walk into their home without apologizing or giving a reason why he wasn't going home. "Where have you been? It's been two days since you've been home!" Riley exclaimed._

_"Riley, can you please..." his words rolled off his tongue and that's when she noticed he was drunk. She could see it clearly in his eyes. "Not tonight, it's been a long day at work and right now, all I wanna do is eat and go to sleep? Where's my food?" Santiago said as he brushed past Riley and walked towards the kitchen._

_"Food?" she questioned, "Are you serious right now?"_

_He lazily stared at her, leaning against the wall for support. "Yeah..."_

_"I didn't make you dinner. You had me worried thinking you weren't coming back," Riley answered truthfully. It was all she could do, tell the truth._

_"Oh for fucks's sake Riley! What the hell have you been doing then?" Santiago nearly yelled. Riley could only stare at him, surprised but that didn't last long. She only grew mad._

_"Excuse me?! Who are you raising your voice at?! Last time I checked, I'm not the only parent in this house. You're supposed to help me raise Aaron because you're his father! He's been asking me about you. The least you could've done while you were away was call him. And I couldn't give him a straight answer because I didn't even know where you were."_

_He rolled his eyes, "I was working - "_

_"Cut the bullshit I called your boss, you haven't shown up in three days."_

_He could only stand there. Watching her, he looked all distorted from the alcohol and she could smell his breath from the opposite end of the room._

_"So tell me the truth. Where were you?"_

_"You don't get to ask questions, Riley. Just shut the fuck up and make me dinner," he had pinned her against the wall, breathing heavy on her face._

_Riley could only push him away, "Who is she? Huh? Is she younger than me? Does she sit around and listen to you bitch and moan about your nonexistent purpose? You don't get to come here and demand anything from me! I'm the one with the bigger balls in this house, I had to be the one to go through 13 hours of labor, I had to be the one to push our son out of my body! I have always been honest and loyal to you, but if you think for one second that I'm gonna swallow my pride for you then you're a fucking idiot. Touch me one more time and see exactly what I am talking about."_

_She released herself from his grasp and walked to the kitchen. He followed after her._

_"I'm not seeing anyone else - "_

_"Then where have you been. There is never a reason for a man to not go home to his wife unless he is having an affair. So who is she?" _

_He was silent for about a minute. He didn't know what to say, he was too surprised that she had started suspecting sooner than he thought._

_"You've been having an affair, haven't you?" Riley calmly asked feeling like her marriage was about to come to an end. "What's her name?"_

_"Michelle," he answered._

_Riley's front dropped. She didn't expect for him to tell her, she thought that he was telling the truth and she was just flipping the narrative on him because that's what she thought. She didn't think he was cheating._

_"Get out of my house-"_

_He only rolled his eyes at her and left his hands at his side. "There, happy? You can be so damn annoying sometimes." Santiago raised his voice._

_"Yell at me one more time," she threatened. "You're gonna look real stupid when A.B. wakes up and sees his drunk dad using the kitchen counter as support."_

_He clenched his jaw._

_"Now, you're gonna pack up your stuff, and you're gonna get out of my house - "_

_"Don't say anything stupid - "_

_"Get. The. Fuck. Out. Of. My. House!"_

_He broke his gaze and dropped his head. "Okay," he nodded. "Okay. But when you call me up again tomorrow, telling me how much you need me, expect to apologize to me more than once. And have a fucking plate ready for me when I get home!"_

_She picked up the nearest thing she could find and threw it at him. "We're done, okay? It's over. It's over!"_

_By then the door had closed and the glass vase shattered against the wall. _

**.:.:.**

**A/N: We got to see a little bit of Riley's past in this chapter and the reason she split with Santiago, but is that all? Find out in the next chapter. **

**It'll be the last. **

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	6. Maya fucking Hart and Round 2

**A/N: I know this story should've ended a few weeks ago, but this past month has been so hectic. I've been really busy and it's a miracle I was able to finish this story under all the stress I've been lately. I apologize for posting this I think like three weeks late, but if I'm honest I'm really happy with the way this story ended. I'm really happy with it and I hope you are too. **

**Guest: Here's the last chapter. So so sorry it's late. **

**In Her Element **

**.:.:.:.**

As 3 pm struck, Riley finally pulled into A.B.'s school's parking lot. She looked out the window of her car and saw the long line of parents picking up their children. She stepped into the hallway of his classroom and the second she saw his eyes light up, she smiled. A.B. calmly stood up from his seat and packed his stuff, but just then Riley felt the stares from some of the parents waiting in line. This had been happening ever since the media outbreak of Maya's video was released. The first time she caught them staring, she thought it was weird. The second day, it was embarrassing, but now it was getting annoying. The case still hadn't been solved and it frustrated her that they thought she was somehow involved. She wanted to confront them, but she kept going about her day. She wasn't going to let them get to her.

As A.B. approached her, his teacher, Ms. Mendoza followed right behind him.

"Hi, honey! How was your day?" Riley greeted her son, placing a kiss on his forehead.

"Great! I had fun today."

"Riley I wanted to speak to you about that. Over the past few weeks I've been keeping track of your son's performance in math and English, I can finally say that there have been tremendous improvements in his recent test scores! I just wanted to let you know how well your son has been doing recently, I trust that you'll continue to do whatever it is you've been doing so he stays on track with the course. I'm very proud of you, A.B." His teacher informed.

Riley could only nod. She was surprised by his improvements especially since a few months ago he was struggling. As she thought, she concluded that Lucas played a great deal in this. He wasn't in their lives that long ago and it convinced her that he played a role in this.

"You're happy," she said.

He nodded.

"Happy for ice cream?" she asked and his face lit up.

After their detour, Riley and A.B. made it home. The second she stepped in, she knew in her mind that she would need to clean the house. Her second job began when she got home and that was being a mother. And although it was time-consuming and exhausting at times, she loved every minute of it and wouldn't change it for anything. A.B. sat in the living room drawing on a coloring book she was sure had been torn and folded many, many times.

Just then her phone rang, when she flipped it to see who had been calling her, she smiled at the sight of Lucas' name. "Hey, babe."

"Hey, Riley," he said, his voice was hoarse. "I got held up at work today, I think I'm gonna be home late."

"Okay, that's fine. What time do you think you'll be home?"

"Like two in the morning, but then I gotta be at work again at six, so I won't see you until tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay," she said and leaned against the kitchen counter, "Ah, so I'll drop A.B. off at school and you'll pick him up?"

"Deal," he confirmed. "Sorry, I tried to work something out, but I couldn't - "

"Lucas, don't worry about it. It's okay. Get back to work you have a family to think about."

"Thank you - "

"Wait, I almost forgot to tell you something. A.B.'s grades are rising, his teacher told me when I went by to pick him up."

He smiled, "Did you get him ice cream?"

"Yeah, I had to clean his mouth because he eats like a little animal."

"It's good to hear. I gotta go, but I'll see you later babe, bye. I love you."

She froze at the sound of his last three words. "Wait, Lucas- "

The call ended and Riley didn't know what to do. This had been the first time he said that to her and she didn't know how to feel about it. She came to the conclusion that he didn't even realize he had said it.

A few minutes later, Riley patiently washed the dishes in her new home. She turned to A.B., who was coloring in the living room with a bright smile. She couldn't help but smile too. Everything about the little one made her happy.

"Mommy?" he called out.

"Yes," she responded but maintained focus on the stain in a pan she could not seem to get out. After realizing that he hadn't said anything, she turned to look at him. He was no longer coloring, but sitting upright and paying attention to the TV. "Oh no, A.B. turn that off. Close your eyes." She dried her hands on the hand towel beside her and sped towards the living area where he sat.

"Why is the lady on the tv talking about Lucas?" he asked, intrigued.

She ignored his question and looked for the remote. She tried to remember the last place she left it, she knew it had to be somewhere near her because she took it from A.B. before handing him the coloring book.

"Mom?"

She remembered seeing it beside the gray blanket, but that was before she folded it.

"Mommy?"

She then tucked it in between the couch cushion, but that was before he asked her to change the channel.

"Mooommm?"

"What is it? What?" she finally asked him, a little frustrated she was unable to find the remote.

"Why is she missing?" he questioned, his eyes still on the tv. His brown little eyes mesmerized with seeing someone he knew in it. "Why is the girl beside Lucas missing?"

She looked at the screen. There was a picture of Lucas and Maya, they seemed to be on a red carpet for a grand opening for one of the businesses, she didn't know which. She finally disconnected the tv. She knew that at some point her son would begin to ask questions about the background of the new person in her life and the mystery behind it all.

"Her name is Maya, love. And we don't know why."

"Is she dead?"

He was too young to understand what was happening. His little brain was unable to fathom anything near it. But the five-year-old knew just as much as she did. "I don't know."

**.:.:.**

"Lucas, I'm home," Riley called out when she stepped into their home. She slid off her coat and hung it on the coat hanger before stepping into the kitchen, "Lucas, are you -?"

She stopped speaking when she saw _her_. It had caught her by surprise and for a second she couldn't finish her sentence. She was blonde and pretty, the color of her eyes was noticeable from a mile away and the heavy makeup made her look intimidating. "Maya?"

"It's nice to finally meet you," she spoke. She turned to look at Lucas and smiled, "He's told me so much about you, I feel like I already know you."

Riley was stunned for a few seconds. She couldn't bring herself to accept the fact that Maya, the woman who had been missing for over a month, was sitting in her dining room. "H-how are you here?"

"You mean how am I home? In my house?"

"I-"

"How am I supposed to hear you when you're standing over there?" Maya questioned. "Come, sit. I don't bite."

Riley looked at Lucas, his eyes couldn't meet hers. "Where's A.B.?"

"You mean the little kid we were having fun with earlier?" Maya asked Lucas, "Oh, don't worry, Riley. He's upstairs. Sleeping like a bug."

She sat down on the opposite seat from Maya. They locked eyes for a few seconds before she turned her eyes to Lucas again, "What's going on? Why are you here? Shouldn't you be talking to the police, telling them that you're back?"

Maya laughed, "You're so cute. She actually thinks I went missing. Lucas, you did such a great job keeping it a secret all this time."

"Secret?" Riley asked confused. "What secret? What is she talking about Lucas?"

Still, his eyes didn't meet hers, but he was able to speak. "It's nothing, Riley - "

"Nothing?" Maya questioned. "Oh, it's not even close to nothing. We have a secret to confess. The truth is, and get ready for this because I don't think you are," she playfully looked both ways as if someone was standing near them that couldn't know her little secret, "I didn't really go missing. It was a plan Lucas and I hatched together because well, we'd get great publicity for it and the school would take on our proposal to build a new classroom."

Riley was shocked. She kept her eyes on Lucas, but he couldn't look at her. After a while, it started to get her annoyed that he didn't dare to confess this to her. "You did all of this for a classroom?"

"Not just a classroom," Maya interrupted, "We'd make millions off of it. It's a business deal. You wouldn't understand, right babe?"

Lucas nodded.

Riley felt betrayed. "Babe?"

"Oh you have no idea," Maya spoke. She twirled her hair with her finger and held his hand with her right. "We never stopped seeing each other even after you guys started dating. The second you went to sleep he came over to my place and we fuc-"

"Stop. You don't need to get into detail."

"Right. We wouldn't want to annoy her with the _nasty, nasty_ details."

Riley could feel her cheeks go red with embarrassment. She couldn't help but feel a rush of anger as well and feel lied to when she looked at Lucas, who still hadn't garnered the courage to look at her.

"So if this was all for publicity and all this time you two were together, why am I involved? Why did you ask me to move in with you?"

"Oh that's just Lucas not being able to keep it in his pants," Maya answered for him. "He has a hard time being committed, you wouldn't believe the number of times I've caught him cheating, but I guess when God makes you look like that why should you? You do realize you're just another one of his 'flings' right? He's had many of those in our marriage. It's like he pulled them out of thin air. You mean nothing to him, have you ever tried checking his phone? That's how I caught him the first time."

He looked at Riley for a split second and she was able to notice that he looked sad. She thought it was weird for a second, but then she saw something glisten from the glass wall behind him. It was a shiny object that was pressing against him, but she was unable to make out whatever it was. Until she could see it.

It was a gun.

And it was being pointed directly at him.

Taking note of this she was able to tell why his eyes couldn't meet hers, he was signaling that something was wrong and she hadn't caught onto it. Until then.

She reached for her phone immediately. She tried so hard not to make her actions obvious, but to call the police, she had to be looking at her phone. When she pressed the number nine, a loud noise went off. That's when Maya brought the gun from under the table and pointed it straight at her.

"Hand it over or I'll blow your brains out," she threatened.

Riley did as told. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because you're a fucking idiot, just like him," Maya got up from the chair and walked around the table so that she was standing right beside the brunette.

"Riley, none of what she said was true," Lucas intervened. "She said that if I spoke she'd kill you, okay? None of it was true. She lied about everything, she lied about seeing her when she was gone, she lied about the affair and the cheating, she lied about it all. I love you so much you need to know that, okay?"

"Oh for the love of God, shut the fuck up," she yelled at him. "Like damn, you can be so annoying. You know, I only married you for your face, but then you just started talking about your feelings and a family and trying to make our dead relationship work I just," she took a deep breath. "I just had to get away somehow."

"So that's why you did it?" he questioned. "You couldn't have just divorced me like a regular person - "

"And where is the fun in that?" she turned to him. "You know months before when I was brainstorming this, I thought of the many ways I can ruin your life. I could take your money, I could threaten you, I could scare you, but what would that do besides leave you standing? Nothing," she circled the table the other way around and looked at him, his green eyes. The kind of eyes that she stared at for years and years in their marriage hoping she'd find a way to leave. "I wanted people to look at you different, I wanted your image to be ruined and what better way to do that than make it seem like you couldn't stand the fact that I fell out of love with you, and you hated me for it so much that you wanted me dead?"

He gulped. "So that was your plan? Not for our benefit, but for yours."

"_Duh_," she confirmed. "Everything _I_ do, everything _I've_ done was for _me_ and _me_ only. I'm as smart as me, I want what I want and I was sick and tired of you latching onto the money I made."

"What are you talking about? I made most of the money - "

"You did nothing!" she yelled. Gun to his forehead. "But let's say you did, how great would it be if it all became mine? You still haven't finalized the divorce if you died and I mysteriously came back from wherever I was missing - Manhattan - technically that money would be mine. And you, poor, poor, Riley would get nothing."

"You're crazy," she insulted the blonde. "And a narcissist."

"Boohoo," she fake cried. "You know you should really watch your words they can really hurt other people."

"How'd you do it?" Lucas asked, ignoring her sarcasm.

"Honey, you're gonna need to clarify," she spoke.

"The video, the YouTube account, the news...how'd you do it? They couldn't find you, they couldn't track the video...it doesn't make sense. How could you pull it off?"

"I'm Maya fucking Hart," she answered. "That's how I pulled it off. But if you want to know the boring details, I work with amazing photographers. One of them, Riley, might ring a bell. Josh Matthews."

The brunette turned to her, interested in what she was gonna say next.

"He was the one who filmed the video of me in the freezer. The video was staged, he had a camera team and makeup artists, it was amazing. Though I did pay them a pretty penny to keep their mouths shut, sorry Riley, but he was super cute and has an amazing package. Bigger than yours Luckey-pookey. Once the video was made, I sent it to a friend I have in Connecticut. He lives in his parent's basement, kind of a loser, still in his emo phase, but his hacking skills are the best I've ever seen. Once he got my message to upload the video, the police made it to Lucas and that's when I contacted a friend in the media to leak a story claiming you were behind my disappearance, and that lady and germs is how you do it."

Lucas had to admit that the way she was working with things was enough to make him look questionable in her disappearance. If she had taken another major step he was sure he would be fired from his job and need a lawyer to defend himself. "Then why did you come back?" he asked as she walked around looking at the place. She still hadn't gotten used to the new furniture in the house. "It' seems like you had it all, you were gonna ruin me, why did you come back?"

"Because of her," she pointed the gun on Riley's temple and pushed her head away. "She just walked right in one day and changed your life, didn't you? I realized even though I hate you and I think you should at least die sooner than later, we're better as a team. We're a fucking power couple."

"So what's your plan now? You're back, threatening us with a gun, how is it gonna work now?"

"That my darling is what I'm still working on. But I'll find a way. I always do." She looked at Riley and examined her better now that she had the chance, "You're pretty. Amazing jawline, skinny, beautiful eyes, I'd hire you if I didn't hate you so much."

"I'm not interested," her voice broke because the gun was still being pointed at her.

"It's a shame how such a pretty girl like you could have gone through so much. You know with your ex and your son - "

She turned to her immediately. "How do you know about that?"

"About your ex-husband, Santiago? Yeah, that was messy. But you get a lot of connections when you're rich and successful," she answered. "I just made a few calls and within the day I was learning everything there is to know about you."

"What's she talking about?" Lucas asked.

"What?" Maya asked, surprised. "You didn't tell him about your ex-husband."

"I know about Santiago, she told me everything."

"No, hun, not everything," Maya informed. "Guess she's not as honest with you as you think."

"But now since you haven't told Lucas, I guess it's time that he knows. I mean how long have you guys been dating, like a minute, two minutes? Don't you think it's time?"

"Riley, it's okay, I don't need to know - " Lucas tried to save her from the embarrassment Maya was putting her through, but it wasn't gonna do much.

"Shut up, she's talking."

"After Santiago and I decided we needed to get a divorce, I took A.B. to the park - " With a sudden move, Riley managed to take the gun from Maya and point it straight at her. She got up from her seat and took a few steps back to place some distance between them, "Sit!" she yelled at her.

Maya laughed, "Didn't think you had it in you."

"Lucas, call the police," Riley demanded. He sat there for a few seconds before getting out of his seat and walking towards his phone. "Tell them she's home."

The blonde laughed, "Now that he's gone I guess we can talk about it. Even though I don't like you I have to admit he had no right to take your son like that, that kind of fear can be traumatizing."

"Don't say you know what I've gone through because you don't."

"You're right I don't," Maya laughed. "And I'm glad I don't, I never wanted children."

"But before you turn me into the police. There's one thing you need to know..."

**.:.:.:.**

**Eight Months Later...**

Riley stared at the outside of the cafe and took a deep breath.

As she stared at the handle of the door, waiting to walk in, she thought about how different her life had been in the past eight months. She was still busy taking care of A.B. and driving him to school, every day before heading to work. She had new friends now and they met every Friday to drink wine and talk. She wasn't ready to change anything about it because she liked it, but there was always that feeling of sadness that kept coming back to her when she was lonely.

She fixed her coat and opened the door to the cafe. As soon as she stepped in, she stared at the details of the little building before stepping inside and was surprised by the little it had changed in the time she hadn't gone to it. The graffiti on the brick was still the same and the way the donuts were assorted was still the same, the only difference was the prices on the menu.

She finally spotted him and walked over to the booth he was sitting on.

Riley hoped she wasn't doing anything that would make things worse for her. She slipped in the booth and pulled a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm here," she spoke. "What did you want to talk about?"

Lucas stared at her for a few seconds. She looked amazing and seeing her made him feel the same feelings he felt before. "I wanted to see you. It's been so long."

She nodded, "It has."

In the time they spent apart, he had returned to work and moved into a different house. His daily routine was the same every day and he was tired of it, he felt like something was missing and that was Riley. Which is why he asked to meet her after the longest time, he never expected she'd say yes.

"I know I've apologized a thousand times, and I know that I'll need to apologize a thousand times more before I can get you to forgive me, but -"

"Stop," she interrupted him before taking a deep breath, "That day...you don't know what happened, at least not from my point of view."

He nodded. "I don't, I'm sorry."

"It happened a month after Santiago told me he was cheating. We were in the process of finalizing the divorce and I was still hurt about what he did. A.B. started to notice so I thought taking him to the park to get his mind off things was the best thing I could do at the moment. In a way I hoped it would work for me too," she wiped a tear that had made its way down her cheek, "I looked away for one second. One second. And he was gone. I searched the entire park, I asked hundreds and I mean hundreds of people if they had seen him and they all said no. I know A.B., he's responsible he would never just do something like that without telling me. That's when I knew somebody had taken him."

Lucas had never seen Riley so open and vulnerable before. It made him want to hug her and tell her everything was gonna be okay, but he knew that wouldn't help.

"I drove around town looking for him for at least five hours. I was so scared, too frightened to think logically that instead of calling the police the second he was gone I decided to look for him myself. I think it was midnight when I went to Santiago's house. He opened the door and I cried to him, I told him everything that happened. I felt so guilty for losing him and I felt like this was going to make me look bad in front of the judge in the custody hearing I - " she stopped to regain the loss of breath she lost from letting her emotions get to her. "I felt like I had lost the most important thing in my life. My purpose, my hope, my will, everything...it felt gone."

There was silence.

"Never did I imagine it was Santiago that took him," Riley revealed before releasing a scoff. "He took him to make it seem like I had lost him. It was all part of his plan. When I saw A.B.'s stuff in the corner of his living room I knew what Santiago was trying to do. And to make things worse, it was the first time I had seen him since the day he told me he was cheating."

"I'm really sorry. I didn't know..."

"When I found out that you helped him it..." she made a gesture that let him know how bad it affected her. "And I know you thought you were just helping him, you had no idea what he was really doing, but it still hurt. It's still something that I have trouble getting over. Even though I won the custody hearing I... I can't look at Santiago the same anymore. It just..."

"It's okay," Lucas assured. "You don't need to explain yourself to me you have every right to be mad and to feel hurt..."

"I realized something last night," she began. "The thing is even though I still feel mad and hurt about it, I can't let it keep getting to me. It's been so long, so long. I wanna be able to look past it, I want to be able to trust Santiago with A.B., I just can't let it keep getting to me."

Lucas nodded.

"Which is why I'm here," she looked into his green eyes, she had missed them deeply. "I ended my relationship with you because you helped Santiago, and even though you told me so many times you had no idea he was taking A.B., I ignored it. I ignored it because I let it get to me..." she took a deep breath, "And I really hope I'm not embarrassing myself by doing this, but... will you go out with me?"

He was stunned. He had listened to her confess her secret, her pain, her insecurities... he had seen it all purge out of her and he understood. The only thing that left him feeling numb was her question. She wanted another chance together. "Y-yeah," he stammered. "Yes."

She laced his hands with him, "I'm sorry I ended it in the first place..."

"Hey," he cupped her cheek. "Don't apologize."

"So what do you say, round two?" she asked him.

In a room full of people, each individual waiting to meet their own lover, their own story, their own journey, Lucas was glad he was spending it with the beautiful brunette in front of him. He felt at peace. "Round two," he confirmed.

**THE END...**

**.:.:.**

**A/N: I can't believe this story is really over. I remember the exact day I came up with the idea for this story, it was Christmas day in 2018 and I felt like this was something I wanted to continue. I'm just having trouble realizing that the day has come to finish it. **

**Thank you guys so much for reading. I had such loyal readers who continued to read the story and not give up on it. It means to much to me. **

**For the last time on this journey...**

**Follow, Favorite, and Review **


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